So Begins The End
by inuyasharbd15fan09
Summary: The Only Way He Could Save What Was Left Of The World Was To Bring Her Back. Slight AU/ Rated M
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH. ...but that is only the beginning of the plot. It all has a purpose. The next chapter will be happening (does count) twelve? or fifteen years later. Btw, the original Raven off of DC Comics was able to take injuries of others onto herself. ...Just throwing that out there before I'm questioned why a part of this isn't making sense. **

**DISCLAIMER: (for the whole story) I do not own TEEN TITANS. They are property of DC Comics. I am not making profit out of this story. It is all fan based. **

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**PREFACE**

His eyes couldn't shift from her rapidly falling body, at least fifteen feet up in the air. Consequentially, he didn't block the blow to his side, abruptly sending him sprawling across the street. A heavy thud echoed his fall, knowing it wasn't him hurt.

"Raven!" he managed to mumble, shifting his weight onto his arms but tumbling back down at the lack of strength. The microscopic debris around his body trembled slightly at the approaching threat.

Suddenly, leaping over his fallen form, a dangerous roaring green beast set himself on top of the approaching threat, preventing Robin from coming to more harm. Pushing against the ground, his body trembled in protest but he needed to supervise his surroundings. Shifting from the one airborne to the ones not far from him, he pushed against his knee and stood tall. The bitter cold wind bit at the exposed part of his face, but he took no mind. The fallen woman wasn't lifting herself from the latest crater on the cemented street.

"Robin!" He glanced back and maneuvered out of the way in time to avoid a dangerous blow to his head.

"Don't you guys ever give up!?" he heard one of robbers shout behind him, catching his attention.

"Will you?!" he snapped back, abruptly spinning on the heel of his hands, strong legs kicking the target in the chest. The dazed man fell, never anticipating the move. He righted himself up again and pulled out a Titanium Steel Bo-Staff. He charged towards the men who were cornering the green beast, in no time knocking them to the floor. The beast shifted into a giant fowl, flying to assist the others.

Robin turned, and suddenly took off running, towards the crater. She still wasn't up. Sliding to a stop, dragging his gloved hand to create friction, he dug his boot into the concrete and dove into the crater. He narrowly avoided landing on top of her. "Raven?" He got no reply. Cursing, he removed a glove, placed two fingers at the pulse point near her neck and froze. No pulse. "No," he whispered. Suddenly, there _was_ a pulse, yet _so, so _faintly.

"Heads up!" Suddenly, gravel rained down the crater. He dove on top of her, sheltering them both with his cape. He felt the blow of a few pieces of cement but he would get over it. Right now, he had other priorities. Gritting his teeth as he sheltered her from another shower of dirt, Robin grasped his communicator and alerted Cyborg that he needed assistance. In no time, he heard the thundering footsteps of the half robot, stopping at the opening and peered inside.

"Robin? You a'ight?"

"Cyborg! Raven's down. I need you to assert the seriousness of the injury and keep her safe," he pushed himself up from the dirt floor, caught a protruding pipeline, and swung onto the concrete street. The cyborg man nodded and jumped into the crater he had vacated. Robin heard the attacker come before he could see him, giving him time to take out his Bo-staff and dig it into the attacker's stomach.

"Ugh!"

"Damn it," Robin mumbled under his breath, dove to the floor and spread a leg back, knocking the threat off of his feet. Springing back up, he fisted a diskette from his belt and with perfect aim, sent the missile to the man about to pounce on the Tameranean. The diskette exploded with nitrogen in its gaseous stage, instantly freezing the man. The Tameranean didn't blink, but sprinted in mid air towards the Changeling, that needed assistance at the time. He was about to follow when he heard the half man, half robot call his name.

"Robin!" He peered into the crater.

"What?"

"She fading, man! We need to get her to the medical lab in, ASAP! Her vitals are weakening by the second!" Robin's mask set, his face paled.

"I thought her body healed itself!" he yelled, barely audible through the falling gravel - that was the result of Beast Boy pitching the larger of the men to the airborne Starfire with his current reptilian tail, at which Starfire caught, pinning the bad guy with such an strong alien force, that cracks from the impact spread onto the good part of the building.

"Well, you can _ask _her when she wakes up!" Cyborg shouted back, edging his larger fingers under the limp body of the half human, half demon woman. He wiggled her securely against his metallic plate of a chest, and glared up at Robin. "For now, we need to get her some help!" Cyborg suddenly glanced down then up so fast, it could have resulted in a whiplash. "Damn it! Robin! She's bleedin'! And bad!" The leader didn't blink as he abruptly spun, delivering a heavy round house kick to the gut of a massive man.

"_Fer Christsake_!Get out of there then!" Robin shouted, disappearing from Cyborg's view for a second. The metal man heard grunts of pain above him as he maneuvered the dark bird in his hands to grasp a good leverage onto the soil, under the city's concreted main street.

"Hang on there, Rae," the older man whispered. He received no reply. Debris again showered the crater, making Cyborg wince when a sharp piece of granite cut across cheek. As his head began to emerge from the hole, he was greeted with silence. A chill ran up his spine when he couldn't detect neither of is teammates. "Yo, Beast Boy!" He called out. He twisted his head back suddenly as he heard the hiss of a snake. Before his eyes, the green serpent grew arms and shifted into the teenage shape shifter teammate. Said teen wore a horrified look on his face.

"Dude, what happened!?" he cried, grabbing Raven's arms, setting her weight onto himself as Cyborg maneuvered completely out of the hole.

"I dunno yet. But we need to get her medical help, _now_!!" They both turned at the low pitched hum of their approaching teammate. Her translucent green energized fists released their frustration as she descended.

"_Gorl Heflb_! What has occurred?!" she neared Beast Boy, helping the shape shifter to balance out the small weight of the unconscious demoness. Cyborg opened up the pad on his arm and neared the trio. The pad transformed into a machine the man had designed himself. Several high pitched noises began to ring.

"What's it say?" Beast Boy asked, pulling back Raven's cowl. A sharp cut was bleeding over the curve of her cheeks, but it seemed superficial. Cyborg shook his head, then slapped the pad on his arm.

"If we don't get her help soon, she's gonna die on us!" Cyborg shouted, his shout echoing up the building walls. Suddenly, a piece of cement moved behind the cybernetic man, making them glance back. The piece fell, revealing their crouched leader.

"Robin!" The princess chided, relieved to see him. He glanced their way, warily, until he saw his teammate still down.

"What are you waiting for!? Get her to a hospital!" he ordered, struggling to get up. Starfire gripped Raven's shoulders more securely, thrusting against her legs to suddenly take flight. Cyborg glanced back to his leader. "I'm fine!" he shouted.

"Right!" Beast Boy growled, shifting in mid air into a pterodactyl and gripped Cyborg's arms, taking him up in the air.

Robin saw them turn sharply to the right down Jefferson street before muffling his scream of pain into his arm. Once he _had_ to breath, he maneuvered to stand on his knees. A deep gash penetrated his right bicep, causing his shoulder to come out of the socket. He cursed as his sight began to blur. Shaking his head, he forced himself up. His breath quickened at the effort and anticipation of what he was about to do. Placing his limp right arm in between his legs, he panted two breaths worth before placing his left hand against the top of his right arm and snapping the bone back into its socket. He yelled, cutting himself short after a second.

Flexing his right hand, he leaned down and took up his Bo-staff. He located his R-cycle and mounted the monstrosity. He pin pointed his teammates' locations and revved the engine. In seconds, he was behind them. He earned glances back at him when they heard the engine, but only three did so. The fourth one was still unresponsive. Starfire lowered first but didn't land as she neared the hospital.

"Please!" she alerted the hospital staff, making them stop instantly. "My friend needs assistance!" Nurses and doctors alike rolled up to the Princess a gurney, telling Starfire to place Raven carefully on there. By the time the others had rushed inside, the began to roll Raven away.

"Where is she?" Beast Boy practically shouted as he finished transforming into his humanoid self inside. He set Cyborg safely down as Robin joined them, taking off his helmet.

"She's being rushed to a surgery room," a nurse alerted them. As soon as the words left her mouth, the team made their way to follow their fallen teammate. They turned left on the East wing before the swinging doors stopped them. A male nurse stepped out, stopping them with a gesture.

"I'm sorry, I cannot let you in further." Both the Princess and the Changeling looked at him with looks of protest but Robin cut them off.

"Fine. But alert us of any change," the leader announced, a baritone of warning underlining his speech. The nurse nodded, understanding, and rushed back inside. For a small second, no one spoke. Robin's labored breath finally made Cyborg's stare-off with the two doors stop to glance back at him.

"You don't look so hot, man," he made the other two look back at him as well.

"Yeah, maybe you should get a check up too-"

"I'm fine!" he snapped at Beast Boy, who slightly flinched back. Starfire twirled her hands in front of her, looking as if to say something but rather shouldn't. Robin fixed each worried gaze with a look before turning on his heel. "I have to alert the authorities we've left the _scum _on the streets. With our luck, they've probably recovered and left already." Mumbling darkly, he left Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire waiting for news of Raven.

In no time, squat cars of Jump City Police were on their way to the recently destroyed part of the city's main street. Robin hung up the phone, finally allowing himself to rub his tired eyes through his mask. Small movement to his right caused him to turn his tired gaze right, then down.

A small boy stared up at him, watching him with dark blue eyes. Robin imagined that he must have looked awful to the boy, with blood staining his uniform and gashes oozing with goodness knew what. Never the less, the kid offered a smile. Robin couldn't help but smirk in response. Offering his right hand for a low "high five", the kid giggled as he slapped his chubby little hand onto the hero's.

Robin suddenly stopped short. That _should _have _hurt_. His eyes snapped to his previously destroyed bicep to find it … _unharmed_. In a rush, he left the suddenly scared looking kid and sprinted back to the wing. He almost collided with Starfire, whom he assumed was on her way to call for him.

"Robin-" he didn't stop to listen to her, rather, rushed into the double doors, making the other two call out his name. He was greeted with a flat line from the heart monitor.

"What!? What is he doing in here!?" he faintly heard the surgeon shout, prepping the paddles to shock Raven's chest cavity. But Robin could have cared less. He felt his stomach drop further by the millisecond Raven's heart rate kept lowering. He came to when he felt the grip of the male nurses, trying to usher him outside again. Using his quick reflex, he gripped both hands of either men and flipped them, making them crash back into some machinery. A few sparks lit up the room in a weird light.

"Raven!" he managed to shout, finally. She wasn't suppose to be _curing him!_ She was suppose to be _curing herself!_ _She was the one in jeopardy!_ Nurses and doctors surrounded the half human woman, obscuring his view. Cyborg finally gripped his leader's arms and dragged him back. Robin's view never left the huddle of doctors, even through the closed doors.

"What is wrong with you!? You could have compromised Raven's health back there!" Cyborg shouted, finally shoving Robin away. The leader spun on him.

"Compromised!? She's flat lining, Cyborg!" Instantly, everyone froze. Beast Boy swallowed, shifting his eyes to Raven's doors back to Robin, at which his shocked faze fathomed a sense of bewilderment.

"Dude…your face…" Robin heard the green teenager's whisper, making him turn to see his reflection on the glass of another prep room. All bruises and minor cuts were gone, and he could see his bare bicep clean of injury. If it weren't for the blood on his chest and the torn fabric, he could have pulled off an un-injured Robin. But… he wasn't. He couldn't be. He _shouldn't _be!

"Ra-" The doctor stepped out -cutting off Robin's reply- branding a small spot of blood on his stomach area of his garment, Raven's blood. He looked pale, shocked. He couldn't maintain eye contact, especially not Robin's.

"…I'm…sorry…" All sound suddenly left the hall. "…we couldn't save-"

"What!?" Starfire cried out, pushing Beast Boy and Robin out of the way to reach the doctor, whom she picked up by his collar clean off of his feet. "Please, make yourself clear! H-How is our f-friend!? P-Please!-" Cyborg lowered her strained arms and pulled her from the doctor, being the only one on the team having enough strength to actually make Starfire stop her own. The Princess spun in his metal arms and dug her head against his metal plated chest, finally allowing herself to weep. The older man tried to maintain his own tears from escaping his only human eye but found it harder as he caught a glimpse of Raven's body from the ER.

"What is wrong with you!?" Beast Boy finally growled, standing up to the doctor who began to push himself away from the wall Cyborg had knocked him to. "Stop lying to us, you-you jerk!" His voice wavered as he too fought himself not to cry.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not-"

"Shut up!" Beast Boy shouted, his eyes flashing animalistic-ally for a second. "You shut up!" Without him noticing it, a few tears leaked out of his matching green eyes. Robin leaned his right "injured" shoulder against the cold of the glass, facing away from his team. Suddenly, flashes began to snap on and off from the end of the hall, grabbing the teams' attention.

"Robin!"

"Is it true!? Is Raven in the ER?!"

"What is her condition!?"

"Why not report to S.T.A.R. Labs!?"

"Can we get a picture of you, doctor!?"

"Robin! A comment!"

"Starfire, what are you going to do now?!"

"Shut up!" Beast boy growled, turning from the doctor to the paparazzi. "All you do is bother us!" It didn't take long for the paparazzi to recover from the yelling.

"Why the out burst, Beast Boy?"

"Is Raven's health in jeopardy?"

"How is-" Beast Boy let out an inhuman growl as he fought his monstrous side to stay within himself.

"BEAST BOY!" the changeling's growls seized as soon as Robin shouted. The Leader's face was hooded as he approached the flashes of the cameras. He swallowed, but other wise no other motion came from his face. "I advice you gentlemen, that if you do not leave the premises of this hospital, police enforcement will escort you out of the building themselves!" He bit out.

"But how is Raven!?"

"What does this mean for the team?"

"What about the League?!"

"How will this effect the crime rate of Jump City?"

"Will-" Suddenly, Robin spun and picked up his helmet, threw it to the ground with an audible smack. A few cameras flashed again, but no one spoke.

"Leave the hospital!" he growled. Beast Boy harmonically followed Robin's threat with his own animally growl. The doctor finally rose fully on his own two feet and sparing the team a last glance, he made his way to the doors.

"Doctor?" Starfire whimpered, breaking from Cyborg's arms. The doctor paused, and glanced back at her baring a painful look on his face.

"..We called it in, Ms. Starfire," she managed to let a sob escape before she rushed to compose herself. Robin stood facing the retreating group of reporters, as finally the guards on duty began to usher them out. Beast Boy turned, no longer holding back tears. A nurse walked from the room, stopping as Cyborg's still body stopped the door from going further. Worryingly, she gazed at the doctor.

"Doctor?"

"What is it?" he asked, closing his eyes.

"…Time of death: 4:37 am…."

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**A/N: I _am_ going somewhere with this so bare with me. I'm still working on ...two stories for TEEN TITANS other than this one. :D Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter two as promised. This is roughly somewhere from 15 plus years from where chapter one ended, or rather the preface of the story. The parenthesis that are amongst the story () are little reference information found at the bottom. I really hope they make sense. I know it might get confusing but you'll see. Any questions can be answered via reviews. **

**enjoy!**

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Chapter one

Dick awoke from the nightmare he'd been having nearly every night in a row. Never the exact same thing. But always fragments of the day at the hospital. It was flashes really. He couldn't distinguish any faces in his dreams but he knew it was his old friends.

And who exactly died that night.

A body moved aside him on his bed. A current girlfriend. Sarah. From the coffee shop three blocks left of his building. He rubbed his eyes.

_'Raven did favor coffee-'_ he stopped himself short and groaned softly into the palm of his hands. He was going to drive himself mad if he didn't stop thinking about this.

But how could he _not_ thing about it?

Raven had been his friend from the beginning of his heroic vigilante vocation. Casualties, regrettably, weren't exactly gazed upon in horror now a days. Raven had been one of the few who had gone down in the beginning.

But Raven, had been his first teammate he had lost.

And to this day, he had no liable reason _for_ her death. A puzzle that still haunted him till this day...

Trauma hadn't been that bad. _He_ had been worst off. The profuse bleeding had been superficial – according to doctors. So...what _had_ killed her?

"You're up again?" came Sarah's voice. He spared her a glance and gazed sadly at the wall in front of his bed. She shifted so as to mimic his sitting position and wrapped the sheets safely around herself. "You did it again, you know." He instantly picked up the sadness and irritated tone in her voice.

"Did what?" he asked.

"Called out _her_ name in your sleep. That _Raven_ chick," he side glanced at her, irritating her more.

"I've been having nightmares..." he left it at that. He never filled anyone in, no more than he could manage to spare without any slight suspicion. She scoffed, catching his attention for a split second as she got up and dressed. He looked out into the dark Bludhaven night though his window. It had been raining for a week strait. Spring showers, he guessed.

"_Right_. Nightmares," she lifted her auburn hair out of her jacket and hastily fitted her shoes into her feet.

"At least wait until it's daytime," he stopped her. She glanced at him with hateful disbelief. He really couldn't forgive himself if something happened to her on her way to her apartment now. He could always follow her by the roof tops but he tended to stray away from doing unnecessary dressing if he could help it.

"You asshole!" she bit out and slammed his bedroom door. He inwardly flinched at the loud noise echoing in his vast, slightly furniture less bedroom. Sighing he fisted his boxers from the floor and placed them on.

The few girls he had interested had left him because of his silence. Not because he couldn't communicate -give him a proper subject and he could take a conversation for hours- but the not delving into beyond his arrival at Bludhaven two years ago. He stood up and casually stretched.

It hurt.

Even if he wouldn't admit it himself out loud. Every time a girl walked out on him, it hurt him much more than he really thought. He hadn't heard Sarah slam the front door out of the apartment yet so he guessed she had taken his advice and steamed in the living room. Silently, he neared the closet holding unused coat jackets and pushed them aside. Blindly, he softly placed his palms on the wall and pressed. The wall gave way and slid aside. It revealed a blank screen that instantly awoke to the motion. Pressing a button here and there, he was able to detect Sarah on the couch nearest the door, tapping her foot in irritation.

"Sorry," he whispered. It was for her own good, really. He couldn't involve her in his life.

Or his double life.

He closed the screen and finished dressing in the clothes he got into bed in. After emerging from the bathroom, he caught sight of a few rays of sunrise from the closed shingles of the window. He then heard his front door slam shut.

Goodbye Sarah.

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"Dick!" a police officer yelled. Dick looked up and set down the paper.

"Yeah?"

"Take a look at this," the man set down a newspaper in front of Richard and pointed to a blurry picture on the twelve-th page of the paper. "See that? Looks like a cult of some kind is starting to scare the locals."

"Cult?" Dick asked, sparing a glance down at the paper. As Nightwing, he had 'bigger fish to fry' than some outcasts wanting to be recognized as a possible threat. But at the last second, he caught himself short. He picked up the newspaper and stared at the darkened corner of the picture. It was of a random alleyway's brick wall, spray painted with a chant he knew was amateur.

No, what had caught his attention was the _symbol_, the one on the bottom left corner. The other three formed a frame around the chant but he only recognized the bottom left.

He'd seen that symbol somewhere. A couple of years ago.

"Dick?" no reply. "Richard?"

"What?" he detachedly asked as he rummaged for a blank piece of paper and a pointed pencil on his desk. For some odd reason, as Nightwing he was immaculate, but as Richard Dick Grayson, he was a messy messy man. "This symbol," he pointed with the worn out eraser end of a pencil he found usable, "I've seen it somewhere." The other man raised a brow.

"Yeah, where at?" Richard briefly paused but went unnoticed.

"An old book, college paper," he glanced up, "Don't ask." The other man raised his hands in defeat and rose to go back to his desk.

"So," he slightly prompted, "You think there something to this? I mean, are they a real gang of some sort?" Dick rose from his sketching of the symbol to stare as the mid-fifties man.

"Not likely, possibly just out casted punks who wanted a little bit of fame on the newspaper is all," he tapped his sketch with his pencil, "This is out of curiosity. It's going to drive me nuts if I don't find out where I remember this from." The other man nodded, possibly just doing so as to get out of Dick's hair, and made his way back to his desk. The smile slipped from Dick's face as he set back to copying the symbol. Once finished, he leaned back in his chair, holding the piece of paper a foot from his face. "Where have I seen this before?" he muttered, rotating the symbol to see if it helped him remember.

But he couldn't.

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"You're under arrest for violation of-" Richard slammed a street thug against the car as his partner, Amy Rohrbach, read them their rights. He was working routinely. The handcuffed man struggled under Dick's hold on him but he immediately slammed him down again. His partner spared him a glance, but disregarded it as she pushed the first man into the back of the police car. Richard followed, slamming the door, distractedly, and got in himself. He wasn't approached on his behavior until that afternoon, as he made his way towards his car. "Grayson!" he turned and saw Amy approaching him.

"Hey," he greeted, opening the door to his car.

"What was with you today?" she asked, leaning onto the hood of his car. He inwardly groaned.

"Nothing, not getting sleep, I guess," he lied, throwing his jacket into the passenger seat. He jingled his keys as he met her gaze.

"Uh huh. I've seen you sleep deprived and you're wired as a guy on twelve cups of coffee. Wanna tell me?"

"Really, Amy. I'm fine. I haven't gotten any sleep..since..last..night.." he slowed down as he caught sight of the reflection off of the piece of paper he had sketched on, onto the window, sticking out of his jacket pocket. It was reflected backwards, like a mirror. His eyes widened in realization and he looked up at his partner, who looked bewildered.

"What?" she questioned, giving the inside of his car a glance before looking at him again. Dick got into his car and started the engine. She stood away from the car and peered into the vehicle.

"Don't let me catch you slacking off again or the boss is going to have our necks," she warned, baring a smile. He smirked and nodded. Soon he was out of the parking lot.

And on his way towards his apartment for a quick change and supplies for a short trip out of town.

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Robin (1) looked up as the sensor screens in his room alerted him of someone in the sub levels. He stopped his pen, and stood up. He glared into the screen and seethed out of the room. Cassie and Conner (2) dashed out of his way as their leader stormed towards the elevator at the end of the hallway.

"What's his problem?" Conner asked, rubbing his hand casually across the Kryptonian symbol etched onto his uniform black shirt.

"Who knows?" Cassie offered, motioning for them to continue on their way.

"Dick!" Richard looked up at the yell. He smirked. He didn't glance back as Robin entered the room. "Jesus Christ, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Research," Nightwing replied, placing back into the vast library's shelf a large volume of a book. He heard the younger man stomp towards him and swiftly blocked his punch.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here," Robin seethed. Nightwing smirked.

"Thanks," he bit back. Robin stole his fist back and folded his arms.

"Don't you have your own little 'Tower' back at Bludhaven?" Robin reminded, swallowing his anger momentarily to allow him to talk. Nightwing replaced yet another book and continued to search for the volume he needed. Now, what color had the cover been? Black? Green?

"So kind of you to remember, kid, but I needed my research directly from the source," he placed yet another book and stepped back to glance back at the section he was sure it was in. Dick wasn't sure if it was in the uniform but he could tell Robin's curious self was on alert at an instant.

Was _he_ like that when he used to wear the same emblem?

"Directly from a source?" Nightwing nodded, giving the bottom shelf another glance. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"An azarathean symbol," he mumbled darkly, not meeting Robin's questioning gaze.

"Azarathean..?" Robin's head shook in sudden realization. "Oh, Dick-"

"Shut it, Tim. The adults need concentration, here." Robin instantly seethed, ready to punch him in the face.

"Why you-"

"It's not here," Nightwing interrupted, turning from the current leader of the Tower and headed out of the room. Robin looked at him in disbelief and promptly followed him. Dick walked into the only elevator at the end of the hall and turned to face an angered Robin.

"Nightwing-"

"Later, kid," he greeted goodbye and went another level down.

The darker books were in another room. _Someone's_ old bedroom.

He got out on the sub-level most current Titans tried to avoid. Instantly, an old pang thumped in his heart as he gazed down the hall.

He could almost swear he heard whispers.

Shaking his head, a few strands of his currently shoulder lengthened hair falling into his eyes, he made his way down to the final door to his right. Unconsciously, his footsteps became slower as he neared _her_ door.

The name plate still read RAVEN.

He heard rushed footsteps from the stair case aside the elevator doors, alerting him of Robin's following. He smirked and sadly placed his palm on the side edges of the door. The door opened with a soft automatic hiss as Robin finally emerged.

"Dick!"

"Sorry, don't have time to chat," Nightwing entered the room. Instantly, he was engulfed with dark familiarity. He had to suppress a shudder at the chill that ran down his spine. Everything was untouched. As far as he could tell anyway. He heard Tim stop at the doorway. He wouldn't venture farther. Nightwing, however, walked in further. Ethnicity masks still hung on the pale purple walls, portraying a creature in a silent scream of horror or despair. He wasn't sure.

"Why are you in here?" Robin asked him, his tone an octave softer. He didn't answer him. Remembering his reason why he ventured in here in the first place in fifteen years, he made his way to the book shelve that made up the left side of her room's wall. He picked up a large volume he thought he recognized and pressed his forefinger against the right side of his mask, allowing him to see in the dark. He briefly glanced through, careful not to speak a word that he read. He could feel the dark aura he had been warned about millions of times by their owner.

_'Late owner,'_ he reminded himself.

Figuring this was going to take some time, now that he was sure he had the right books, he grabbed a couple he figured he needed and turned to the doorway. Robin was still there, his own mask reflecting the night-vision setting had been set to his mask as well. Nightwing scowled and secured the books strongly in his arms.

"Well, I think this will have to do," he announced, heading for the only windows in the room. Robin started to follow him but stopped himself from walking in. In a flash, Nightwing sprang in a backwards prance from the balcony-like structure from beneath the outside of the window and out of sight. Robin sighed as he closed the door.

He might hate the guy but at least he respected him enough to know to stay his distance away from this particular _quest_ of his.

* * *

Letting himself down the obscured ventilation unit, a few days later, Nightwing slid into the apartment next to his he too occupied (3). He lowered the weathered volumes of books carefully onto a desk holding his research and lit on a lamp. He fingered the button on his gauntlet and the south wall opened up to his lab. He peeled off his mask and sat himself down on his desk.

Before he knew it, he had been researching for hours. Regardless, he pushed himself to find that symbol.

_(Flashback )_

_'And what does that mean?' he asked her, smiling at her as she supposedly hid that small smile of hers she showed when she thought no one was looking. She was enjoying teaching him something for a change, he knew it. She pointed at the symbol he had asked about. He nodded. _

_'That's the-' _

_(End Flashback )_

Nightwing woke, realizing he'd fallen asleep. He pushed the volumes off of the desk to get to the bottom one.

It _had been_ a black leather volume.

He opened the book to the half of it, then scanned the remaining pages. It was well into the morning hours that he _did_ find it. His blue eyes widened.

_'It's the Resuscitation Emblem...',_ he mentally read, _'A summoning sacramental to harness the essence of the deceased or the damned...'_

It was in minutes, that were now the next day, that he realize Raven...was both.

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**A/N: hope you like where this is going. I have this story pretty much mapped out so the updates should be easier. And I know. Corny way to end the chapter but you'll see in the next why I did so. Below are the references I mentioned above. **

**Till next update!**

(1) -Third Robin to ever follow the role of Batman's faithful sidekick, named Tim Drake. Robin #1 was Richard 'Dick' Grayson, now Nightwing; There was a second Robin after Dick but before Tim, Jason Todd, but was killed by the Joker ; Tim Drake aka Robin III leads the second Generation of Teen Titans, after Nightwing

(2) -Conner is "Superboy", a Kryptonian who fell under the wing of Superman and was part of the second generation of Titans; Cassie is "Wondergirl 2", also part of the newer Teen Titans

(3) -Richard Dick Grayson rents the apartment aside his real one in Bludhaven under a false identity of a doctor, who is most of the time absent; he uses the extra apartment place as a part clinic resting place where he is able to store most of his vigilante work; (the clock tower he is mostly seen working from will be later mentioned)

**References available through Wikipedia**


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